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Nurture Native Nature
Creating Healthy Local Ecosystems
Welcome to Nurture Native Nature, a blog about my ongoing journey creating a wildlife sanctuary in my own small piece of our precious earth. Hopefully I can help
make it easier for you to do the same.
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Why Dyed Mulch is Ecologically Problematic
It’s not your imagination that dyed mulch is covering your neighborhood. It's been around for 60 years, but the dyed mulch market has...
ljmarkson
Jun 23, 20246 min read
Free Atlanta Event Alert for June 1 - Essential Habitat Elements in a Rewilded Yard Hosted by North Metro GNPS
I’m honored and excited to have the North Metro Atlanta Georgia Native Plant Society host me on Saturday, June 1 from 10:30-12:30 to...
ljmarkson
May 10, 20241 min read
Native Plants are Not Yard Ornaments
The transition from ornamental gardening (plants as ornaments) to ecological gardening (native plants as a functional part of an...
ljmarkson
Apr 21, 20246 min read
Make Your Yard a Safe Hummingbird Habitat!
Like everyone else who eagerly anticipates their arrival, I’m checking out my yard every day looking for my first “hummer” of the...
ljmarkson
Mar 30, 20248 min read
Nurture Native Nature - Spring Habitat Yard Events!
I'm sharing spring events Nurture Native Nature is hosting or cohosting in the next few months in Atlanta. At some point I need to figure...
ljmarkson
Mar 19, 20243 min read
Restore Habitat to Hear the Sweet Song of the Hermit Thrush
Every habitat element in my pocket wildlife sanctuary contributes to a more biodiverse ecosystem. Hermit thrushes for example rarely...
ljmarkson
Jan 7, 20243 min read
Attend a Native Plant Seed Swap!
Native plants are a cornerstone of creating a habitat-friendly, sustainable yard for wildlife. They offer food, shelter, coverage,...
ljmarkson
Nov 21, 20233 min read
Nature Loving Strangers are Kindred Spirits
I was recently looking through my lengthy list of ongoing blog ideas and catchy titles for articles yet to be written and came across...
ljmarkson
Oct 9, 20234 min read
The Future Needs More Violets and Fewer Lawns
I stopped to chat with an elderly neighbor who had just finished weeding her hosta beds. She showed me healthy violet patches growing in...
ljmarkson
Sep 23, 20234 min read
A Day Focused on Restoring Biodiversity in our Own Greenspaces
At the recent Georgia Audubon’s cleverly named Georgia Grows Native for Birds Round Robin: Transforming Your Greenspace, they partnered...
ljmarkson
Sep 11, 20233 min read
Container Gardening for Biodiversity and Habitat
Using native plants in container gardens is a low maintenance and sustainable way to add biodiversity and create habitat in small spaces...
ljmarkson
Jul 2, 20234 min read
Native Pasture Thistle Drama
Last fall a thoughtful friend who somehow remembered my ongoing plant wish list brought me a native pasture/field thistle (Cirsium...
ljmarkson
Jun 18, 20234 min read
25 Dry Shade Tolerant Native Plants for a Southern Habitat Yard
Back in February I wrote about how having a section of sewer pipe replaced offered me an opportunity to replant a section of my rewilded...
ljmarkson
Jun 8, 20238 min read
Connecting Grey Treefrogs and Pokeweed to Sustainable Landscaping
A new game I like to play is drilling down on how even the smallest observation in my rewilded yard can connect back to the importance of...
ljmarkson
May 18, 20233 min read
Native Plants as Edging Plants
In the spring I’m often outside adding, moving, editing, and potting up plants until it’s so dark outside that I can’t see my hands. I’m...
ljmarkson
Apr 28, 20233 min read
Local Earth Day Activism Needs to be Every Day
The magical Earth Day event at Zonolite Park organized by hosts Steph Johnson and Josh Wayne raised awareness about protecting the...
ljmarkson
Apr 25, 20233 min read
Organizations are Not People - A Cautionary Tale
I’m sharing the following lengthy and raw personal journey post in the context of helping others who want to help repair our natural...
ljmarkson
Mar 23, 202310 min read
The Value of Edible Native Plants in Public Spaces
The woodland restoration efforts at Zonolite Park can be summed up in four words - remove invasives, plant natives. Many native edibles...
ljmarkson
Mar 20, 20235 min read
The Native Carolina Cherry Laurel Controversy
I recently watched a small flock of hungry cedar waxwings eat what berries (drupes) previous birds missed on my now blooming Carolina...
ljmarkson
Mar 14, 20234 min read
S**t Happens - and Opens up Possibilities!
One of the main lessons in my daily guided meditation is how our suffering comes from not being able to align our inner expectations with...
ljmarkson
Feb 5, 20236 min read
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Atlanta, GA
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